The present invention relates to a process for the attachment of a mounting rail to the rod of a folding top for a motor vehicle, particularly of a convertible, which rod is at least partially premounted, if necessary. The present invention additionally concerns a connecting device for a mounting rail for the connection of the rod to a folding top of a motor vehicle, particularly of a convertible, which rod is at least partially premounted, if necessary.
In folding tops, particularly in the folding tops of motor vehicles, the problem exists of bringing these into a sealing connection with the corresponding edge sections of the motor vehicle upon the closing of the folding top and of keeping the same permanently sealed there.
Sealing systems, in which the corresponding sealing lips of so-called mounting rails are accommodated, have been developed for this. The mounting rails are elongated, C-shaped elements, in which the opening of the "C" serves for the accommodation of sealing elements, particularly of elongated sealing strips.
Problems thereby result in the conventional simple mounting, such as the fastening of the mounting rails to the corresponding elements of the folding top rod in relation to a specific position by means of screws. Since the tolerances of the rod or of its position allow a certain clearance space, the position of the mounting rail must be correspondingly readjusted, or subsequently changed again after the mounting of the rod, so that a precise sealing effect is achieved. The adjustment of the distance of the mounting rail and of the rod is carried out, in a conventional manner, through the placement of spacing disks. This procedure is not only complicated but also extremely labor-intensive, which makes the production process considerably more expensive. In addition, the position provided can not always be reliably achieved by means of an adjustment by hand, which then leads to problems involving a lack of tightness.